1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-function IC card having a built-in IC chip, such as wireless cards and combination cards.
2. Description of the Related Art
(1) In recent years, the spread of IC cards such as wireless cards and combination cards is astonishing. There has been made the study of building various functions including security in the IC card.
For example, if the power supply of an IC card reader/writer becomes unstable due to the influence by noise, or if a temporarily blackout takes place, a temporarily blackout (instantaneous blackout) also takes place in the power supply of the IC card. When the above instantaneous blackout occurs, an IC built in the IC card crashes or malfunctions.
In order to prevent the occurrence of the above phenomenon, it is desirable that the IC card includes the following function. That is, when an instantaneous blackout occurs, the IC card detects it, and performs suitable processings so that the IC does not have the above crash or malfunction.
(2) The IC cards such as wireless cards and combination cards have the following problem. When data transmission/reception is carried out with respect to a wireless communication reader/writer, user can not confirm the following results with the use of the IC card. That is, the user can not confirm whether or not data transmission/reception is accurately carried out, and whether or not proper processing is carried out by the data transmission/reception.
More specifically, when making wireless communication, it is convenient if the user can confirm the result relevant to data transmission/reception with the use of a closely related IC card. However, the user has conventionally confirmed the above result using the display function of the wireless communication reader/writer or peripheral devices connected directly thereto.
In order to improve the availability of the IC card, it is desirable that the IC card includes a display function of displaying the result relevant to the data transmission/reception.
(3) In a mobile information device such as mobile phone, security information has been conventionally controlled for each device. For this reason, unless security information is registered in the mobile information device, the following problem arises. That is, if the user loses the mobile information device, a person, who picked it up, freely uses the user's mobile information device.
In order to solve the above problem, the mobile information device is provided with a function of loading an IC card, and it is most effective to collectively control the security information by the IC card. For instance, recently, there has been known an IC card called SIM card, and a mobile information device having a built-in SIM card is increasing.
Incidentally, the SIM card is a general term for IC cards having a size smaller than a credit card.
Considering the above device loading the IC card, in order to further improve the security function of the device, it is desirable that the IC card includes a function capable of registering advanced information relevant to security.
As described above, the IC card is configured to have various functions; for example, there has been proposed to collectively control all informations including security information by one IC card.
When configuring the multi-function IC card as described above, the user is now making a demand that the IC card includes the following various functions. That is, the functions are an instantaneous blackout detecting function, a display function relevant to data transmission/reception, and an advanced security function.